The police have recorded five statements from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the latest over his controversial “Bugis pirates” remark this afternoon.

His lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla is livid and urged the police to cease “taking up the old man's time” with their “drama”.

"If they wish to charge, better just charge... Things like this, you don't have to investigate like you are investigating a murder or rape.

"It is straightforward, if you honestly believe it is a crime, charge. But don't make a drama out of it," he told journalists at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya after the police left...